Farmers Guardian articles from May 2005

Farmers Guardian archives from May 2005

Big leap in cases of bovine TB.
May 6, 2005... STARTLING new figures showing a dramatic rise in bovine TB incidence have dashed hopes that the epidemic is levelling off. The latest statistics published by Defra, indicating a 20 per cent year- on-year rise, increase the pressure on the...

Dairy UK sets out industry issues on economic future to new Government.
May 6, 2005... NATIONAL and international issues vital for the future competitiveness of the UK dairy industry have been set out by Dairy UK and will be presented to the new Government. Not least among the economic issues raised is the need to allow time...

Dairy Crest likely buyer of Midlands Co-op Society.
May 6, 2005... DAIRY Crest is in `advanced negotiations' to buy the regional dairy business of the Midlands Co-operative Society. A final outcome is not expected for another two weeks or so but if the deal goes ahead as planned, it will end speculation...

Scrapie cull derogation?
May 6, 2005... THE European Commission is to be asked for a derogation to allow producers affected by the sheep scrapie cull to remain eligible for the Hill Farm Allowance 2006, says the Rural Payments Agency. This will apply where the cull may have left...

Unions give verdict on Fallen Stock Scheme.
May 6, 2005... THE National Fallen Stock Scheme is generally operating well but needs work to improve the service it offers farmers. That was the verdict from four UK farming unions in a joint statement issued this week. The scheme has come in for heavy...

Sugar regime faces tougher EU reforms.
May 6, 2005... THE European Commission has confirmed it will have to toughen its proposals for reform of the sugar regime. These are due to be published in late June, and will focus on reducing export refunds in favour of decoupled payments for farmers....

Tesco thumbs-up for logo make-over.
May 6, 2005... THE new look Red Tractor logo along with the Union flag is now being displayed on produce in Tesco, the first supermarket to adopt the new logo. The logo, which aims to communicate to customers that British food has been produced to...

Abusive fuel protesters condemned by FFA.
May 6, 2005... FARMERS For Action leader Dave Handley has condemned the alleged actions of some protesters outside the Stanlow Refinery this week. "Our members were not involved in the protest on Tuesday when some eggs were apparently thrown and abuse...

Scheme rates assurances.
May 6, 2005... FARMING leaders in Wales have been given assurances that they will be consulted before the proposed cuts in payment rates for the Tir Gofal and Tir Cymen agri-environmental schemes are taken further. Delegations from NFU Cymru, the Farmers...

Jan Crichton.
May 6, 2005... THE chief executive of the British Grassland Society since July 2001, Jan Crichton has died after a short illness. Mrs Crichton had joined the BGS as administrative secretary from the Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, in 1985. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Road care.
May 6, 2005... NFU Mutual is warning tractor drivers to take special care on the roads. "Our claims statistics show that accidents involving tractors and other road vehicles remain worryingly high," said Pamela Oldfield. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

NEWS IN BRIEF: Food supplies.
May 6, 2005... Two reports indicating that world food supplies are tightening and suggesting that individual Governments should develop policies which ensured a robust approach to food security, have been welcomed by the Commercial Farmers Group. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Pig product.
May 6, 2005... A new antimicrobial product for pigs has been launched by CEVA Animal Health. Colivet solution is the first colistin-based antimicrobial to receive veterinary approval in the UK. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Meat plants `at risk' - MHS comes under fire.
May 6, 2005... SHORTCOMINGS in the Meat Hygiene Service are being blamed for putting more than 100 abattoirs in the UK at risk of closure simply because they are not ready to meet new EU licensing regulations. According to the Association of Independent...

Concerns over future of seasonal labour supply.
May 6, 2005... CONCERNS in the horticultural industry are rising over the future of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), which has provided useful labour during seasonal work peaks. A Home Office scheme, which has been running for more than 50...

Accreditation scheme for smaller abattoirs.
May 6, 2005... FOR the first time medium-sized and small abattoirs and processors will be able to join an accreditation scheme that allows them to slaughter or process farm-assured livestock in a cost-effective way. The Association of Independent Meat...

As deadline looms don't get caught out by common mistakes.
May 6, 2005... With just 10 days to go until the May 16 deadline for Single Payment Scheme (SPS) form applications, JOANNA BAKER gets the latest update around the UK and highlights some of the main errors being made on forms. * MANY SPS application forms...

Protest march over implementation of Nitrates Directive.
May 6, 2005... HUNDREDS of farmers marched to the Department of Agriculture Headquarters in Belfast on Friday to highlight their concerns about how the Nitrates Directive is being implemented in Northern Ireland. The rally was organised by the Ulster...

UK to fork up #7m as EU claws back misspent CAP money.
May 6, 2005... THE United Kingdom will have to pay around #7million to the EU as part of a clawback exercise. The EU is claiming a total of more than #200 million of misspent CAP money from member states and the UK has faired well in comparison to other...

SMITH'S VIEW: Get `on board' and get the message across.
May 6, 2005... IN the main part, the British countryside is not a natural landscape. You have to go back several thousand years to find it in its natural wooded state. Today the architecture that fashions our countryside is provided by farmers. The...

OPINION: A fair deal for beet?
May 6, 2005... If the prospect of a fast-approaching SPS form deadline had diverted attention away from the impending sugar beet regime reforms, the WTO's latest ruling will serve as a reminder that the UK beet industry must continue to fight its corner. ...

OPINION: Early foot in the door.
May 6, 2005... IT is good to see Dairy UK getting its foot in the door of the new Government from day one. The industry-embracing organisation has come up with a very clear and concise agenda that should leave no Minister in any doubt as to what the dairy...

Suppliers are crying out for a fair code.
May 6, 2005... FOOD suppliers to UK supermarkets are increasingly finding themselves under major financial stress caused by the market power wielded by the major multiples. These are demanding ever cheaper products with longer payment periods and other...

Industry could crumble under `price-taker' pressure.
May 6, 2005... THE penny was beginning to drop. If nothing was done about farmers just being `price-takers' in the market system, it could lead to a shortage of livestock and a crumbling of the industry in the long term. The warning came from Peter...

Hygiene controls `shunned and evaded' by a few.
May 6, 2005... IT was regrettable that necessary disease precautions did not gain the full support of the agriculture industry, claimed Graham Godbold, from Shropshire Trading Standards. He said the situation for market cleansing and disinfection...

How to optimise business strategies.
May 6, 2005... ACADEMICS at the University of Birmingham are to carry out a 30-month research project aimed at giving practical guidance to the livestock and horticulture sectors on how to optimise their business strategies. Outlining the project Daniel...

Beef exports by the end of the year?
May 6, 2005... IF all went well and the OTMS rule change took place around September, beef exports could follow by the end of the year or early 2006, said Duncan Sinclair, economics manager - beef for the Meat and Livestock Commission. He said the EU...

Markets' vital role.
May 6, 2005... IF farmers were not at the livestock market, they could be losing out, and if the markets disappeared, then the future of livestock farming would be even more problematical. Traditionally, said the Rt Rev John Oliver, former Bishop of...

Combating scrapie.
May 6, 2005... THERE were 9,000 clinical cases of scrapie a year in the UK, with 118,000 sheep infected and 0.5-1.0 per cent of farms affected, said Michael Dawson, veterinary adviser from National Scrapie Plan Advisory Centre. The UK had its own scrapie...

No single solution for controlling bovine TB.
May 6, 2005... CONTROLLING infection in the badger population was without doubt the key to tackling Britain's escalating bovine TB problems, according to Dr Bob McCracken in his presidential address to the British Veterinary Association's annual Welsh dinner....

TB EPIDEMIC - THE REGIONAL BREAKDOWN OF THE LATEST FIGURES.
May 6, 2005... THE WEST Two-thirds of the new confirmed incidents in the first three months of the year occurred in the traditional TB hotspot area. There were 433 confirmed new case, with another 190 tests pending. This means the region is well on...

Badger protection resulting in `catastrophe'.
May 6, 2005... A VET operating in one of the most heavily infected areas of the country has warned peers and MPs that TB has become a national `catastrophe' because of the protection afforded to badgers in the UK. In a letter circulated in the Commons...

Welsh Assembly to defer compensation scheme for cattle.
May 6, 2005... THE Welsh Assembly's decision to defer the introduction of a new cattle compensation system for bovine TB and other animal diseases - as reported in Farmers Guardian, April 22 - has been given a cautious welcome by the two farming unions in...

IACS help.
May 6, 2005... THE Welsh Assembly has issued guidance for English registered farmers with Welsh Land. It said all English farmers who submitted an IACS 2004 with land in Wales should have received an English Single Payment Scheme form as well as a Welsh...

Talks on vehicle limits on tracks.
May 6, 2005... TALKS to limit the controversial use of recreational quadbikes, motorbikes and 4x4s on country tracks in the region are being planned by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. Members of the authority's access committee have agreed to...

`Secure best terms' over new pipeline.
May 6, 2005... RURAL businesses in West Wales, faced with considerable disruption as a result of the Transco pipeline project, are being urged to act now to secure the best terms from the company. The message from CLA Wales is that any personal misgivings...

Limousin supreme at North Somerset Show.
May 6, 2005... THE Limousin heifer Quaish Utopia, from Nick and Lisa Hill, Cheddar, took the overall cattle championship at the North Somerset Show on Monday, having previously been selected as overall beef champion. Standing in reserve overall spot was...

Success is brewing for the Gill family.
May 6, 2005... Watt House Farm has a history of producing pints of milk but its future will involve pints of beer. Angela Calvert raises a toast to real ale enterprise Bradfield Brewery. THIS week's first sales of Bradfield Brewery's real ale are the...

There is still work to be done.
May 6, 2005... Food producers and buyers were at a major Mid Wales conference called to assess progress in the drive to persuade greater public sector procurement of local produce. BARRY ALSTON reports from Llandrindod Wells. A GREAT deal still remains...

Food procurement is paramount.
May 6, 2005... THE public sector in Wales currently spends #60m a year on food procurement - some #20m of it on fresh food - and, according to Welsh Assembly Countryside Minister, Carwyn Jones, there was no reason why a much bigger share of that spend was not...

Positive time.
May 6, 2005... ACCORDING to Arwyn Davies, the Welsh Development Agency's new agri-food director, the past two years had seen successes and frustrations - but there were now some very positive signs of an acceleration in local food procurement policies. ...

Charolais cow and Holstein take the inter-breed honours.
May 6, 2005... LEICESTERSHIRE Show, the first county show on the circuit for most exhibitors, managed to escape the worst of the Bank Holiday weather. Livestock entries were up on last year and all judges commented on the consistent, high quality of the...

Laying cages rule will lead to EU eggs shortage.
May 6, 2005... ONCE the EU Directive on egg laying cages comes in force in 2012 there will be a shortage of eggs throughout the Union, particularly Germany, an international audience was warned. After decades of self-sufficiency the industry will not be...

Two dairy farms, one problem: the price of milk.
May 6, 2005... Britain will have a new Government today - but will the outcome of the election make any real difference to farming? BARRY ALSTON reports from the two farms in Wales chosen by NFU Cymru and the Farmers' Union of Wales to launch their respective...

Crops show septoria signs.
May 6, 2005... DESPITE a relatively dry spring many early-drilled crops are showing high levels of septoria tritici, according to the Defra-funded Crop Monitor initiative. Recent heavy rains have coincided with the emerging final leaf 3, which should...

ELS countdown.
May 6, 2005... WITH a May 31 application deadline fast approaching for an August ELS start date, Dr Bob Bulmer focuses on key issues that growers need to address when considering Entry Level Stewardship. This week he looks at Management Plans. Apart from...

Groups 1 and 2 profit.
May 6, 2005... WINTER wheat growers must look seriously at adding Group 1 or 2 milling value to their crops to be profitable under the Single Farm Payment Scheme. Milling premiums can add up to an additional 20 per cent to the overall crop value. That is...

Agrochemicals training and licensing reminder.
May 6, 2005... A new poster is being supplied to agrochemical distributors and country stores reminding potential purchasers of agrochemicals of the need to have training and be licensed if they are to apply products. Part III of the Food and Environment...

Domestic milling wheat.
May 6, 2005... THE National Association of British and Irish Millers (Nabim) has underlined the importance its members place on domestic milling wheat supply, in its Wheat Guide 2005. The UK is self-sufficient in flour, and utilises 4.5 million tonnes of...

PSD progress update.
May 6, 2005... THE Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) has provided an update on progress in the replacement of the Long Term Arrangements for Extension of Use (LTAEU). The LTAEU gives growers access to a large number of pesticide products through a...

Historic farm has five-star appeal.
May 6, 2005... BARRY ALSTON reports from a West Wales dairy farm and tourism venture where the cows are not the only stars. Fifteen years ago the historically important Pembrokeshire farmhouse was near derelict and the few standing buildings in a very...

Working farm and location have helped B&B business.
May 6, 2005... There can be no doubt that being a working farm has helped the development of the bed and breakfast business considerably - but so too has its location. Lying within easy striking distance of the superb Pembrokeshire coastline, the long...

Training opportunity for future workers.
May 6, 2005... YOUNG people are being offered a new opportunity to get free training in Cumbria to enable them to work in the agricultural community. Following the success of the Fell Farming Trainee project where six young people worked with clusters of...

Agricultural college gets CoVE status.
May 6, 2005... A LEADING Midlands agricultural college has been awarded Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) status in landbased service engineering by the Learning and Skills Council. Brooksby Melton College, near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire,...

`Bosworth in bloom' a big success.
May 6, 2005... A blooming good project undertaken by Market Bosworth YFC, Leicestershire and Rutland federation, has won first place in the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs national Countryside Challenge competition. The challenge, which is...

Pembrokeshire YFC victorious.
May 6, 2005... PEMBROKESHIRE was overall winner at Wales Young Farmers' field day. Runner-up at the event, held at Nantyci on the site of Carmarthen's new livestock market was Carmarthenshire with Radnor third. Stockjudging was particularly keenly contested,...

Triumphant.
May 6, 2005... ABERDEENSHIRE triumphed in the SWRI (Scottish Women's Rural Institutes) national stadium bowling final. Runner-up was Angus. The semi-finalists were Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. Teams. Aberdeenshire: Helen Davidson, Helen Findlay, Aileen Gaul,...

Stockjudging skills day.
May 6, 2005... TWENTY-SIX classes tested the skills of Hampshire Young Farmers at their annual county stockjudging day. The event at Sparsholt College, Winchester, included dairy cattle linear assessment, dairy, sheep, pigs beef and horse judging and a dairy...

We did it!
May 6, 2005... MARATHON running Bromsgrove YFC members, Alison Weston and Anna Brian, have raised more than #2,000 for St Richard's Hospice, Worcester. "Neither of us had ever run in a marathon," said Alison. "Even with all the training over the last...

Carcase judging honours.
May 6, 2005... HONOURS were evenly spread when Lancashire Young Farmers held their annual carcase judging competition at Kepac, Preston. The federation's annual horse judging challenge was hosted by Osbaldeston Riding Centre. Results Beef. Senior:...

Celebration.
May 6, 2005... BERKSHIRE Young Farmers are seeking past members to join their 60th anniversary celebrations. An afternoon and evening of food, entertainment and memorabilia are planned at Englefield Deer Park on June 19. "In the 1960s we had more than 500...

Welsh winner.
May 6, 2005... CERI-ANN Evans, 16, a member of Porthdinllaen YFC, Eryri, is Wales Young Farmers junior member of the year. Runner-up for the junior and senior titles were Non Thorne of Pembrokeshire and Nia Evans of Ceredigion. Wales senior member of the...

UK breeding sweeps the board in Holstein Oscars.
May 6, 2005... UK-BRED cows and heifers swept the board in the 2004 All-Britain Holstein Awards that formed the finale of this year's National Holstein Show, claiming all seven of the UK dairy breeding world's annual Oscars in a great show of strength. ...

Meeting demands for enhanced taste.
May 6, 2005... A SEARCH for the `Aberdeen-Angus of the sheep sector' to satisfy a demand for enhanced taste and succulence in British lamb, has been launched by Marks and Spencer. The project, headed by M&S and involving researchers in both hemispheres...

GRAZING MONITOR '05: Not surprisingly, grass growth reflects wet spring.
May 6, 2005... DAILY growth rates at all our contributing farms reflect the difficult last two weeks. The cold wet spell has hit growth rates hard, forcing some difficult management decisions. The grass DM yield has been hit by two factors. First there...

Familiar feel to everyday workhorse.
May 6, 2005... The John Deere 7920 is the flagship in the three-model 7020 line-up with big boots to fill after superseding the well-regarded 7010 range. To get an impression of how the tractor has performed in its first full season Mervyn Bailey spoke to a...

Versatility a key factor for both field and road work.
May 6, 2005... ESSEX farmer Andrew Kerr bought his 7920 to replace a JCB Fastrac 2135 and a Challenger 55 and undertake their workload. Ideally the tractor had to be light enough for fertiliser application but capable of pulling the farms seven-furrow plough...

Gators get new lease of life.
May 6, 2005... Ag-Chem Europe is looking to give used Terra-gators a new lease of life as a self-propelled sugar beet trailer. The result is said to reduce in-field compaction, extend the harvesting window, and could give contractors the edge over their...

A little TLC helps to get the grass cut.
May 6, 2005... Grass harvest can be a manic time for all concerned and hence essential pre-season checks on all machinery, however important, can be overlooked. James Lane takes a look at the Kuhn GA 7301 twin-rotor rake and offers some points to consider...

Jock's first win of the season `makes it look easy'.
May 6, 2005... ROGER Handy and Jock took their first win of the season on Sunday at the Trawden Spring Open trial. Although wet to start, the weather brightened, bringing a pleasant, sunny afternoon and evening. With Pendle Hill in the background the...

A happy return for Llangadog after 30-year break.
May 6, 2005... NINETY dogs on the book and more than 85 of these entered by midday on Saturday, was the welcome handlers gave to the return of trialling at Llangadog, Carmarthenshire after a gap of 30 years. On a lovely warm sunny day and on an...

Call for young handlers in South West to learn more about sheepdogs.
May 6, 2005... THE International Sheep Dog Society, (ISDS) is looking for young handlers in the South West to learn how to manage sheepdogs successfully. Young handlers aged from 14 to 20 years old are being sought to find out more about sheepdog...

Reekie back in business.
May 6, 2005... REEKIE has found a new home in Lincolnshire after root crop specialist Steve Thorley purchased the trading name, intellectual assets and a large selection of spares to create Reekie Potato Equipment. The administrators had tried...

Fendt - naughty but nice.
May 6, 2005... Computer software in to-day's modern tractor is highly complex and many operators are possibly not making maximum use, or are not even aware, of all the hidden extras. Take certain Fendt Vario tractors, for example. The Vario terminal...

Re-shuffle of Claas UK management structure.
May 6, 2005... CLAAS UK has re-organised its management structure with chief executive Clive Last now taking on the role of chairman for UK operations. He has handed over the day-to-day executive responsibility to a team of four general managers. Trevor...

Vintage machinery for Krone centenary.
May 6, 2005... KRONE is on the look out for equipment it produced over 40 years ago to take part in the German firm's centenary celebrations in 2006. They are hoping to open a display at their headquarters in Spelle, Northern Germany this autumn of vintage...

Till-Spike cultivator.
May 6, 2005... INTERLOCKING spike rollers are used on the Till-Spike front mounted cultivator from Flexi-Farm. The 25mm square spikes are positioned 125mm apart and fixed to a 120mm diameter tube. Paddle tines at the front are used to level clods ahead of...

75th anniversary Hunday sale draws a large crowd and 3,600gns top price.
May 6, 2005... A LARGE crowd was at Borderway Mart, Carlisle,to witness the 75th anniversary sale of Hunday Holsteins on behalf of E. Moffitt and Son, Stocksfield, Northumberland. The best young cows from the herd were on offer and top lot was Hunday...

1,600gns Gold Top Jersey.
May 6, 2005... THE spring Gold Top show and sale of Jerseys at Carlisle, saw Osberton Jangle, a son of Julian Valleystream, realise top price of 1,600gns. Jangle's dam was Osberton Angel 4 EX92 and he sold to J.E.J. Harrison, Wilden, Bedfordshire, from...

Simmentals peak at 3,600gns for bull at Carlisle.
May 6, 2005... SIMMENTALS at Carlisle sold to 3,600gns for a bull from J.D. and A. Loftus, Thistleton, Lancashire. Blackpool Promenarde was a September 2003 Sterling Logan-sired bull out of Ronbren Connie and sold to F. Bradley, Gartly, Aberdeenshire. At...

Skipton Blues to 2,600gns.
May 6, 2005... SKIPTON Auction, North Yorkshire, sold Belgian Blues to 2,600gns at a show and sale for the breed. Top price went to J. Stephenson, Bordley, North Yorkshire, and his home- bred March 2003 Dunrod Sambo son, Bordley Vick, bought by T.H. and...

Longhorns at 3,000gns twice.
May 6, 2005... THE annual show and sale of Longhorns at Worcester produced nine four- figure prices for an entry predominately of unserved heifers and some good quality bulls. The championship went to a bull, Linton Druid, from P. Evans, Haverfordwest,...

2,000gns Lancaster Holstein.
May 6, 2005... MALES led the way during the Lancaster Holstein dairy sales at Lancaster Auction. Top price was 2,000gns for Stardale Gandalf 2 from J. Burrow and Son, Barton, Lancashire. This Silky Cousteau son out of Joylan Celcius Gloriette 2 went to T.S....

#760 top at April Fair fixture.
May 6, 2005... BROUGHTON-IN-FURNESS Auction, Cumbria, held its April Fair show and sale of store cattle with an entry of 504 head. Judged by Frank Towers, Wray, Lancashire, the champion steer was a Limousin from L. Farish, Barrow-in-Furness, that made...